Contentment

If you ever see me limping, it is because I have repeatedly shot myself in the foot hunting the “good life.” I feel like I have hobbled along with God more than I have walked with Him.  Looking back over my short life, the longer I live the less there seems to be my history, I would say one of two things happened to me.  One, I was never discipled to walk with Jesus.  I was discipled on how to be a “good” Baptist who never disgraced my church body.  But I was never discipled to have a lively relationship with my Savior.  Or, two, people tried but I refused to infuse the training.  I was the kid who moved Sunday School teaching into the category of self-sacrifice for anyone in whose class I found myself.

The crux of the matter is, I was taught right and wrong, but not shown how to distinguish between the two fast enough to make the right choices.  I even completed seminary without the spiritual skills to navigate temptation, rejection, success, and failure.  I must have been a nice guy because people seemed to like me, especially the spectacular Janice Baldwin.

This refracted reflection stems from remembering something my Aunt Reba Hadaway said.  Aunt Reba was terrific for me as a child and as an adult. I remember her saying after Uncle Doc died, “I am content, in the Lord.”  That is what was missing in my life, contentment.

I never stopped thinking about those words of her testimony of walking with God.  Here are a few ideas I have pondered.

The word container comes from an old Latin word meaning to “hold together.” A tin can is a container because it holds a bunch of green beans together.  Because of our five senses and a fantastic thinker, each of us can contain enormous amounts of experiences, opinions, and information.  Yet, most of us are discontent in our living and the living of the folks around us.

So, why can’t I get a solid grip on life and experience contentment?  Is contentment something I learn to be or do?   For seventy-four years I have been trying to find a constant flow of contentment.  But contentment comes in ebbs and flows, it comes, and it goes.  Seldom does it last longer than an August breeze.  Why do I even want it?

Well, I want it because I was created from contentment and for contentment.  That part of God’s image He put in all humans, a desire to be securely and pleasantly sustained and contained.  God created humans to be with Him and we will never experience contentment until we are content.  And, to be sure, nor will God be content until every human who will returns to Him. 

The longing for contentment is the voice of God calling His creation back to Himself, one person at a time.  The lack of contentment is not a curse, it is God calling us home.

Photo – Taken this past spring by my friend, David.